Chapter Twenty-Two: The Tomboy

For many years, Yan Xue had not brought this incident up with anyone. It wasn't out of shame, but rather a realization that she had acted a bit foolishly at the time. Whenever it was mentioned, her parents and relatives would inevitably launch into the same tired clichés: "A girl should behave like a girl," or "Having a bad temper isn't a good thing for a young lady." Such talk only served to irritate her.

Consequently, she simply stopped mentioning it altogether. Even if someone else brought it up, she would pretend not to remember and quickly change the subject to avoid the lecture.

Recounting this old story to Kang Ge now, she felt no emotional burden. In her heart, she felt that Kang Ge was the last person in the world to tell her that "girls shouldn't act this way" or "girls shouldn't lose their temper." He might offer a better solution, but he would never judge her character or behavior. Because of this, she always felt relaxed and unburdened in his presence.

The incident occurred during the second semester of her first year of middle school. Yan Xue was in the midst of her rebellious phase. At home, she constantly witnessed her aunt’s family bullying her parents, while her parents, soft-hearted as they were, always chose to swallow their pride to keep the peace. This left her seething with anger. Being only thirteen or fourteen, she was forbidden by her parents from talking back to her aunt, so she had to suppress the internal volcano that threatened to erupt at any moment.

But one must understand that human emotions are like water in a reservoir; if you keep building dams to hold them back without ever releasing them, the water will eventually find a breach and "flood," becoming entirely uncontrollable.

That semester, a male classmate kept making embarrassing jokes at her expense. The more she expressed her displeasure and warned him not to go too far, the more he danced around, leering and making faces.

Eventually, Yan Xue reached her breaking point. Although she couldn't recall the exact words now, she remembered delivering a sharp, cutting retort. Thirteen-year-old boys were hardly the epitome of gentlemanly conduct, and he grew